11 September 2026
On Wednesday 9 September, SGI Europe’s General Secretary Valeria Ronzitti met with European Commissioner Jessika Roswall to outline SGI Europe's key strategic priorities for the European Commission’s upcoming Circular Economy Act. The high-level meeting focused on ensuring the new regulatory framework delivers a realistic and operational circular single market integration.
During the exchange, SGI Europe underlined that the climate transition, with the circular economy at its centre, is a strategic European competitiveness strategy. A more circular economy can reduce dependencies, improve resource efficiency and resilience, create new European markets and support industrial innovation, while ensuring qualitative growth. SGIs provide much of the essential infrastructure needed to make this transition possible.
To create a functional circular single market, the discussion focused on overcoming barriers that currently fragment the European economy. Key recommendations presented to the Commissioner included establishing a recyclable-by-design approach, reforming Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes to enforce full cost coverage, and introducing harmonised EU-wide End-of-Waste criteria. These measures are critical to ensuring that high-quality secondary raw materials can circulate across national borders without administrative bottlenecks.
The meeting also tackled the economic feasibility of the circular transition. SGI Europe highlighted the need to mobilise targeted investment streams, notably by capturing and valuing carbon savings within the waste sector. Creating viable market conditions and rewarding avoided emissions will be essential to attract the capital needed for long-term infrastructure upgrades.
As the European Commission and Cabinet finalise the Circular Economy Act, SGI Europe welcomed the constructive dialogue and was pleased to bring forward additional opportunities and technical solutions for consideration to ensure a competitive, resilient, and fair transition.
Contact: Henriette Gleau
On Wednesday 9 September, the European Commission published a proposal for a Regulation on public contracts and concessions, aimed at simplifying and modernising the EU public procurement framework. It seeks to reduce complexity, increase flexibility for public buyers and make procurement a more strategic tool.
The proposal would consolidate the existing procurement rules, including the 2014 Directives and several sectoral acts, into a single Regulation and reduce the number of procedures from five to three. It also introduces greater possibilities for negotiation and market consultation.
The text introduces new quality requirements, with the Best Price-Quality Ratio becoming the standard award method. Quality criteria would need to account for at least 30% of award criteria, and 50% for labour-intensive contracts, subject to a ‘comply or explain’ mechanism. Buyers would be expected to consider factors such as sustainability, social aspects, innovation, security and resilience.
The Regulation also introduces a horizontal framework for European preference in public procurement. The Commission aims to clarify which operators, goods and services will be covered and which EU-origin requirements public buyers may apply. The framework would provide a basis for future sector-specific legislation, which could introduce mandatory European preference requirements.
The proposal further includes new, significant documentation and publication requirements across the entire procurement procedure, alongside an integrated digital procurement marketplace connecting national eProcurement platforms. The marketplace is intended to facilitate data sharing and cross-border participation but will require effective interoperability between existing systems.
On the same day, the Commission also proposed a European Innovation Act to improve access to financing for innovative companies and establish a common EU framework for valuing intellectual property.
Both proposals will now be considered by the European Parliament and the Council, and SGI Europe will engage to ensure a workable and proportionate framework for contracting authorities, contracting entities and bidders.
Contact: Raquel Carro-Andollo
Today, the European Commission adopted a Communication setting out a new strategic vision for the EU’s outermost regions. SGI Europe welcomes the European Commission’s strategic vision, which recognises that territorial cohesion must translate into fair opportunities and tangible improvements in people’s daily lives.
The Communication sends an important political signal by explicitly supporting citizens’ right to stay in the place they call home, particularly young people. This reflects SGI Europe’s Freedom to Stay initiative: people should not be compelled to leave their region because essential services, quality employment or basic infrastructure are unavailable or unaffordable.
We particularly welcome the strategy’s focus on access to healthcare, long-term care, affordable housing, clean water, and education. Its attention to transport and digital connectivity, energy and water autonomy, climate resilience and critical infrastructure also recognises that these services are interconnected and indispensable to resilient territories. The emphasis on skills, worker retention, and education is important to us as well. Indeed, delivering Services of General Interest depends on the availability of a skilled workforce in every territory.
Looking ahead, these ambitions must be translated into concrete reforms and investments, notably through the future National and Regional Partnership Plans. Clear indicators should measure access, affordability, quality, workforce capacity and territorial opportunity, while SGI providers, social partners and regional and local authorities must be meaningfully involved.
This strategy confirms that the Freedom to Stay can be operationalised only through affordable, high-quality and accessible Services of General Interest, quality employment and connectivity.
Contact: Benoît Cassorla
On 9 September, the European Commission presented its proposal for an Affordable Housing Act, a new EU framework to support Member States, regions and cities addressing housing affordability and availability in areas facing the greatest pressure. The initiative forms part of the European Affordable Housing Plan presented in December 2025.
The proposal establishes a common methodology for identifying “areas under housing stress” and clarifies the conditions under which authorities may introduce measures affecting short-term rentals, second homes or long-term vacant dwellings. Such measures must be evidence-based, targeted, necessary and proportionate, while decisions on whether and how to intervene remain with national, regional and local authorities.
The legislative proposal is accompanied by a Commission Recommendation focused on increasing housing supply, which encourages authorities to accelerate planning and permitting, make better use of land and existing buildings, support renovation and repurposing, and expand affordable, social and student housing, including through Housing Acceleration Plans. The Commission stresses that restrictions on non-primary uses of housing cannot resolve structural shortages on their own and should therefore be combined with measures to increase supply and facilitate investment.
For SGI Europe, the Affordable Housing Act should support territorial cohesion and the Freedom to Stay: access to adequate and affordable housing is essential for attracting and retaining workers and ensuring that people can live close to employment and essential services. SGI Europe will follow the negotiations in the European Parliament and Council, with particular attention to subsidiarity, investment conditions and the capacity of local and regional authorities to deliver.
Contact: Maxime Staelens
The European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee is discussing compromise amendments to its own-initiative report on psychosocial risks, stress and mental health at work.
SGI Europe welcomes several changes that move the text toward a more proportionate, evidence-based approach. Importantly, the compromise no longer calls directly for a Directive by the end of 2026. Instead, it asks the Commission to first assess existing legislation, carry out an impact assessment, and conduct competitiveness and SME tests before considering a legislative proposal. It also explicitly calls for avoiding overlapping legal instruments.
Other improvements include replacing mandatory annual psychosocial risk assessments with regular assessments, taking account of enterprises' size, sector, and resources, and removing the requirement for a separate annual action plan. These changes better reflect the need for proportionate obligations and greater coherence with the existing EU occupational safety and health framework.
However, important concerns remain. In particular, the proposed presumption that a health impairment is work-related unless the employer demonstrates otherwise would continue to create significant legal uncertainty, especially given the multifactorial nature of psychosocial risks. The recommendations also remain extensive in areas such as staffing, work organisation and the right to disconnect.
SGI Europe will therefore continue to advocate for an approach centred on implementing the existing framework, proportionality, legal certainty, and respect for social dialogue.
Contact: Guillaume Afellat
Only a few spots remain for SGI Europe’s policy discussion on the Freedom to Stay at EU Regions Week 2026. The debate presents one of key moments to turn Raffaele Fitto’s “Right to Stay” vision into concrete regional action across Europe’s diverse territories. The session explores how high‑quality services of general interest – healthcare, education, childcare, public transport and digital connectivity – can become the backbone of territorial cohesion and a stronger, more inclusive Single Market.
Panellists from multiple levels of governance will share case studies on cross‑border cooperation that boosts regional attractiveness, reduces disparities and supports local communities.
The debate takes place on 14 October 2026 at Square Brussels, and requires prior online registration.
Don’t miss the opportunity to contribute to a strategic dialogue on how essential services can anchor citizens and enterprises in their home regions and strengthen the EU's economic resilience and social fabric.
Interpretation in English, French and Spanish will be provided.
Contact: Anastasiia Semida
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